This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 6:26 am and is filed under Engineering, Prototypes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

COMMENTS: 74

1

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Firefly Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (6:36 am)

For about the size of the thing as well as the projected battery packs, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s about right…long as it works as promised.

2

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Firefly Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (6:37 am)

(Yaaaaay! First post! This calls for a cookie…)

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Dave G Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (6:44 am)

Wow. My Honda CR-V weighs 3389 pounds. I didn’t expect the Volt to weigh more than a crossover SUV. But I guess a 16KWh battery doesn’t come for free.

4

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nuclearboy Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (6:56 am)

The car should feel very sold on the road with the relatively large mass and low center of gravity.

The article also notes that the car will be “more aerodynamic, with simplified surfaces, rounder corners, a lower roofline, a sealed grille, a minimised frontal area..”

The minimized frontal area is obviously one factor in lowering the drag. Drag Force F = Cd * A (1/2 rho V^2). The 1/2 rho V^2 is the dynamic pressure which they have no control over. The force is simply proportional to Cd * A at a given velocity. The Cd* A gives the equivalent area of air that is brought up to the cars speed as the car passes through the still air. It is this combination that is important and it would appear they have lowered the Cd and the A to meet their design goals.

I hope this thing has plenty of head room.

On another topic.
Reading the article, one comes away with the idea that this is a Euro designed car coming to america.

Just wondering about accuracy of the weight number, because the Maibu Hy comes in at 3,537 pounds. Seems really close to be a coincidence, and I don’t really now how you could have a accurate weight number at this point.

Additionally other vehicle on a similar platform weight in at about 2,750 ie) Cobalt. So even with the extra 400 pounds on the battery, would still seem there is a extra 400 pounds somewhere…I can’t imagine the Delta II adds poundage.

/just a thought

6

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Jim Mbongo Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (6:56 am)

Hey Dave G, this is just speculation. Nothing of this has been confirmed yet.

7

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psklenar Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (7:03 am)

Wow! My Forester AWD is only 3095#.

I believe I read in an earlier article that the Volt’s battery pack is 400#, and didn’t one of yesterday’s comment sections indicate that the wheelbase is over 100″? It sounds like this Volt might almost be larger than my Forester!?

“Additionally other vehicles on a similar platform weigh in at about 2,750 ie) Cobalt”

9

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Dave G Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (7:10 am)

From the article: “… indeed the article defines the Volt itself as Astra-derived.”
————————————————————————————–
Yes, we’ve heard this before. In 2009 the Chevy Cobalt and Opel Astra will convert to a new platform, which will be the platform for the Volt as well. The platform includes the chassis and various other internal body parts. Of course, the chassis will have to be modified with a big T-shaped hole in the bottom for the Volt.

10

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Dave G Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (7:25 am)

#4 nuclearboy Says: “Reading the article, one comes away with the idea that this is a Euro designed car coming to America.”
————————————————————————————–
That’s because their target audience is the U.K.. Nobody else would even mention Vauxhall.

To be fair, I think the 1.4L engine was developed in Europe. In fact, the first Volt production cars will probably have European built engines, since the new engine plant for the Volt is just starting to be built now. But hey, this is to be expected. Americans haven’t been interested in small engines until very recently.

As for the new 2009 Cobalt/Astra platform, I heard this was an international effort.

In any case, it’s clear that the Volt’s design is centered in Detroit. The battery testing, mule integration, software development, design studio – all here. That’s why several key engineers from Europe moved to Detroit.

11

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Dave G Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (7:32 am)

#5 Statik Says: “Additionally other vehicle on a similar platform weight in at about 2,750 ie) Cobalt. So even with the extra 400 pounds on the battery, would still seem there is a extra 400 pounds somewhere…I can’t imagine the Delta II adds poundage.”
————————————————————————————–
Right. If anything I would expect GM’s new 2009 world car platform to be lighter. So you bring up a good point – where does the extra 400 pounds come from? Induction electric motors are small and light, and there’s no transmission. I’m stumped.

By the way, where did you get the specs for the Cobalt’s curb weight? I looked on the chevy site and couldn’t find it.

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Statik Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (7:54 am)

#11 Dave G

“By the way, where did you get the specs for the Cobalt’s curb weight? I looked on the chevy site and couldn’t find it.”

Yeah it’s in there, you just have to dig, lol. I apologize for not putting it up, I generally like to link/source to whatever I am talking about.

I’m constantly plagued by the question – why oh why do international car companies need to have different models for different markets?
Ok, so the tail-lights and number plates have different standards in the US. So make these small details changeable and be done with it!

To illustrate the point – Toyota Prius is a Toyota Prius everywhere in the world (and so is VW Golf, Audi A4 etc AFAIK) although the price is different and technical details (i.e. breaks, tail-lights) differ in EU and US.

I can understand the branding weirdness a la Vauxhall/Opel where you just slap a different sticker on in a different country, but why different bodies? I hope they do away with this nonsense and sell one Volt for all, saving millions due to unification in the process and later in maintenance etc.

If the car sells cheaper due to economies of scale, but offers normal benefits AND a mega-green cred, this could be a combination wery difficult to beat by competitors. I hope GM is still focused on SELLING as opposed to designing and advertising. A good product they say will sell itself!

OK, so the car has a high Cd AND is also fat? What’s going on here? lol. The idea of a Hypercar is very lightweight with great aerodynamics. That means all of the systems need to be lighter and that means it gets lighter and…

Of course we should wait for the official numbers.

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Statik Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (8:05 am)

Ironically, GM JUST released the press on the Cruze, showing first photos and saying it’s debut will be at Paris autoshow…which leads me to believe the Volt won’t be coming out there, lol.

Let me add my vote to #5 Statik and #11 Dave G. The weight seems out of line high. 3200 lbs seems like a more reasonable expectation.
The Prius seems like a similar sized vehicle, it has the ICE, battery, motors, and it weighs about 2900 lbs. It you enlarge the battery by say 300 lbs, you get 3200.

17

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RB Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (8:24 am)

When space for a heavy battery is cut out of the bottom of the frame, then considerably more support and bracing has to be added around it. That bracing not only has to keep the battery from falling out on huge potholes, it has to keep the rest of the car from flexing materially, in all 3 dimensions.

I doubt the battery itself is strong enough to be a structural element in itself. It probably has to be cuddled, like a standard car battery, and maybe even more so as rigidity may be critical to its internal connections. In a truck there’s a heavy steel frame along the sides, but that’s not there in a standard car frame. Maybe this is where some additional weight is coming from.

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Dave G Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (8:30 am)

#16 Van Says: “The Prius seems like a similar sized vehicle, it has the ICE, battery, motors, and it weighs about 2900 lbs. It you enlarge the battery by say 300 lbs, you get 3200.”
————————————————————————————–
The Prius also has a transmission, and an electric motor that uses magnets.

I hope Autocar was misinformed, but if the Volt really does weigh over 3500 pounds, I can’t figure out why. It doesn’t seem to make any sense.

19

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RB Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (8:32 am)

The post says
“…to show off a near ready car at an auto show in late 2009.”

late 2009? not early 2009, or mid 2009?

20

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WhiteCavalier Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (8:38 am)

Maybe the weight includes a family of 3? Adult male 190ish lbs, Adult female “140” lbs, Child 50-70 lbs. There’s the roughly 400 lbs that are just being thrown around!

21

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mitch Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (9:01 am)

Once again..everyone reads something and the gospel has spread… the article states

“Furthermore the author seems to know that the Volt will weigh around 3520 lbs (1600 kg, something we’ve never been told) and have a weight distribution of about 50:50 (a fact we’ve heard before).”

SEEMS to know..is operative here//there is no fact, no quote, likely a guess from an automotive “:Journalist” (I use the term loosely), with the disclaimer that “something we’ve never been told”. I would think that if Lyle could cnfirm, he would have and said so as well…

Personnaly if LYLE was writing that he would have included a “as said by” and give a name.Then I believe. but Lyle has not posted nor (seemingly) can he verify the number, and I think he is likely well connected enough to find out.

so now there are a dozen posts criticizing the Volt, who’s design is not final, based on a guess, from a source that does not identify where the info is from, that Lyle hasn’t confirmed, on a car not in production, against real can be bought now cars…

and some think I think people over react to “information”

lighten up folks!!

22

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Aspherical Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (9:11 am)

Wow, 3520 pounds seem kinda heavy. If that is in fact true and the battery pack weighs 400 pounds, it seems the only place the extra weight can be is the electric motor/generator and chassis. Now, I am just talking out of my a** because I am not an expert on a car chassis, but I would think that the chassis would have to be much stronger around the battery pack to prevent any type of damage from a “minor” accident. One major downfall of the Volt would be is your car is hit from the side and you have a $15,000 bill to replace the door and battery pack. Doubt GM will let that happen, but you have to wonder how they robustly protect any type of damage to the battery pack. Just a thought…

23

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carl Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (9:41 am)

statik #15 – don’t the pictures of the Cruze resemble the new pictures release of the volt?

24

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DonC Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (9:41 am)

A few points:

1. This guy is going to be hefty for its size. I think we now know why they up-sized the ICE.

2. Thanks to Nuclearboy for pointing out the fallacy so evident in yesterday’s thread about aerodynamic drag – Cd is not drag. The relevant number is CdA. The A is as important as the Cd part, and, consequently, making pronouncements about drag based solely on the Cd makes no sense.

3. The tires will be interesting. Rolling resistance has got to be low if they can meet the 40 mile range with a 1800 Kg car (loaded) with good but not great aerodynamics.

4. Bringing twenty control systems together should be a trick.

25

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Dave G Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (9:45 am)

Well, if the Volt really does weigh over 3500 pounds, it’s not all bad news. It mostly just means the acceleration will be worse. Autocar did mention 0-60 in 9.0 seconds, and that’s worse than what we’ve heard before.

As for fuel efficiency and all electric range, the weight seems to play a smaller role than the aerodynamics and rolling resistance. Regenerative braking will be better with more weight, so that tends to balance out the extra energy needed to accelerate.

But Autocar may have gotten their weight and acceleration numbers from the Mali-Volt mules, so this could be inaccurate.

Another possibility is that GM is getting a little gun-shy about advertising their target specs ahead of time. People on forums seem to give them hell when they miss their targets. Shame on them! (humor)

Come on folks… Lyle is quoting an author by saying the author “seems to know”…. the author is obviously guessing just as everyone else is. The fact that the guess is a very round 1,600 kg does make it seem more like a guess to me.

Well if I keep growing at the rate I’m growing, when I get in the Volt it will weigh 2 tons. I bet that would hurt my mileage.

29

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TED in Fort Myers Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (10:31 am)

OK GM I do not care what the weight is but I would be happy to test any of the first few hundredin Florida which are not for sale.
Take Care,
TED

30

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Kent Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (10:39 am)

The car in this picture is UGLY!! I hope it’s only here for reference as to the 3,520 lb. weight and not an indication of what the Volt will look like. That being said, I’d probably still buy one (@ $30,000).

31

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MikeD Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (10:52 am)

No wonder they are going with one charging point – with that amount of fat, they have to start trimming somewhere. As they have said, weight is your enemy with this car, the lower the weight, the longer it will run in all electric mode. Sounds like they have a very heavy enemy they are battling. Hopefully the CD will balance the weight out. Oh, yeah, that’s high too. Raise the bar GM, raise it high – wait, ignore that…

32

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noel park Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (10:54 am)

With apologies to Tagamet, just get the !@#$%^ wheels on the road!

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N Riley Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (10:54 am)

#15 Statik

Thanks for the link. I think the Cruz is better looking than the 2008 Malibu which is a very good looking car, especially up close.

You have really stepped up your contributions the last couple of days while staying pretty positive. Is this a harbinger of the future Statik? If so, I like him even better. You have given us several thoughtfully presented pieces of information lately without any real negative tones. Thanks, you are doing great.

If the Cruz, as shown by the pictures down loaded from the article, was available this fall in the U.S., I would be a very likely buyer.

Lyle, keep up the good work.

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dagwood55 Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (10:59 am)

Not to flog the “an-SUV-weighs-less-than-this” horse unnecessarily but our 2000 Rav4 is under 2700 lbs. The AWD version weighs a little more.

And low weight does not necessarily imply unsafe… The IIHS reported the Rav4 had the fifth lowest fatality rate of all cars on the road in their 2002 report.

The Rav4-EV is looking better every day.

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N Riley Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (11:17 am)

Look, every one, get this straight. Nobody at this point knows the weight of the production Volt, except for some GM employees and I don’t think they are talking. Talking about the weight of the Volt at this juncture is like talking about who is going to win the Super Bowl. There are too many other things that have yet to come together to know the weight without just guessing. Guessing is what has been done here in the article and it isn’t any move accurate than throwing horse shoes with your eyes shut.

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wwskinn3 Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (11:18 am)

$35K – if we can get a $6K federal “green car” subsidy that would make the car at $29K. This would be a good price. I’ll take mine in any color but black.

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Bernie Torbik Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (11:25 am)

I have a hard time reconciling the 3500 lb weight with:

1. the Volt was supposed to be a “mechanically simpler vehicle”, sans transmission and many of the components found in a conventional vehicle.

2. the fuel tank supposedly was downsized to 6 or 7 gallons.

Admittedly, a 400 lb battery will eat into some of the weight saved from eliminating other components, but else could cause the Volt to be so heavy?

38

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Statik Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (11:41 am)

#21 mitch

“so now there are a dozen posts criticizing the Volt, who’s design is not final, based on a guess, from a source that does not identify where the info is from, that Lyle hasn’t confirmed, on a car not in production, against real can be bought now cars…and some think I think people over react to “information”

lighten up folks!!”
———

And look, it isn’t even me complaining. I cast doubt on the weight, therefore one could almost put me in the optimist class on this one!

Surely I get a ‘free post’ or Volt T-shirt or something for this one?

#23 carl

“statik #15 – don’t the pictures of the Cruze resemble the new pictures release of the volt?”
—————–
Are you trying to get me started? Hehe, I’ll let people draw there own conclusions on that one.

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Aspherical Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (11:44 am)

3520 pounds cannot be correct. It just can’t be. As statik has suggested, lets take the Cobalt sedan as a baseline, which is 2750 lbs. The Volt will not have a transmission, which is typically around 200 pounds. Down to 2550. Adding the 400 lb battery pack, and we are up to 2950, minus the electric motor/generator. If the 1.4L motor is water cooled, we can “assume” for now that is will be the same weight as the current engine system (when I assume, I make an ASS out of U and ME). Does anyone have an educated guess on how much a 160-hp electric motor and generator would weigh? I can’t imagine that being 570 lbs. This author seems to be full of it….

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Statik Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (11:49 am)

#32 N Riley

“#15 Statik
Thanks for the link. I think the Cruz is better looking than the 2008 Malibu which is a very good looking car, especially up close.

You have really stepped up your contributions the last couple of days while staying pretty positive. Is this a harbinger of the future Statik? If so, I like him even better. You have given us several thoughtfully presented pieces of information lately without any real negative tones. Thanks, you are doing great.”

——–

Crazy right? Links without the usual ‘dark cloud’ attached to them, maybe I’m mellowing out. I haven’t even posted a ‘State of the Union GM Financial Report’ in like….weeks.

I feel like you are almost my AA councillor trying to keep me on the ‘straight and narrow’, not that I’m in AA or anything ,lol…and not that there is anything wrong with that.

/past results are no indication of future performance and I make no guarantees or forward looking statements on future dispostion

PS) nice job peppering in the word ‘harbinger,’ I enjoyed that
.
.

#35 wwskinn3

“$35K – if we can get a $6K federal “green car” subsidy that would make the car at $29K. This would be a good price. I’ll take mine in any color but black.”

Thats funny, thats the only coloUr I will take it in, all 6 of my new cars from GM…black. Every car I have ever bought new (except for my SMART TDI) has been black…does that say something about my personality?

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Rashiid Amul Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:11 pm)

TED in Fort Myers

I hope you and your family are doing well with Fay.

42

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DaveP Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:20 pm)

I think it’s just a rounding issue. The original article says “around 1600kg” which translates into 3520lbs. But 3520 seems like a precise number with 3 digits of accuracy. The original only had 2. So, “around 1600″ means more like maybe 1500-1700kg, which is a range of 3300 to 3740lbs.

It’s probably closer to 3300lb. 1600 kg was probably a “worst case” rounded up number just like acceleration in 9 seconds is a rounded up number (as near as we can tell from what GM has said previously).

(At least I hope that’s a rounded up number. If it’s actually 9 seconds or over, I may be out. That’s no longer a “performance vehicle” by any stretch of the imagination and to me that is a bigger letdown than the change in looks!

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ThombDbhomb Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:29 pm)

If the Volt is $40k and 3,520 pounds, then the cost per pound is pretty low – about $11.36 per pound.

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Jim I Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:43 pm)

mitch #21: Well Said!!!

TED: Mr. Lutz just called me to tell me that he was going to send you a car to get you to stop making the same post over and over. But since Ft. Meyers is getting all that rain right now, he was afraid it would float away. And then he would get blasted on this site for not having “boat contingencies” built into the Gen-1 Volt. So he is sending your car to me to test. Sorry about that, buddy……

Statik: You are going to hurt your elbow and shoulder if you keep patting yourself in the back………

3520 pounds…. how stupid. I could have done the car at a much much lower weight. GM should hire me.

Hey Statik… Everything I am posting is all in fun. And actually you are NOT very high on my list of aggravating negative posters. A few months ago maybe but at least now you seem to be more balanced. Negative is fine as long as it is logical. I don’t have a problem with negative comments… I have made a few myself. Just want them to be based on something more than “this is how I would have done it” manner.

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mitch Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:45 pm)

#37 Statik

“And look, it isn’t even me complaining. I cast doubt on the weight, therefore one could almost put me in the optimist class on this one!

Surely I get a ‘free post’ or Volt T-shirt or something for this one? ”

Sure..what the heck, free post..4 x 4 pressure treated ok? I can drop it off in a couple weeks when I head to Toronto…

#39 Statik “I feel like you are almost my AA councillor trying to keep me on the ’straight and narrow’”

Hi My name is Mitch, and I am a Volt a holic….

While I am usually an optomist, I find all this whining about theorhetical guessing like its the gospel infuriating…(See my posts in the CD thread from yesterday)

Its DOG DRIVEL!!!

Seeing as folks are interested in unsubstatiated sources as truth. (Lyle feel free to post this as a new thread for the ” I have too much time on my hands so I will hyper analyze ANYTHING factual or not” crowd

“The Volt, it has been revealed (by a source speaking on the condition of annonimity) will look like the coolest car on the planet EVER due to its self redesigning “smart skin” technoogy that revamps itself anytime IT feels that the car next to it looks cooler, have an aerodynamic co-efficient equal to the stealth bomber (and therefore invisible to radar) able to go from dead stop to mach 1 in .572 seconds, travel around the world WITHOUT recharge,weigh 75 kilograms with passengers due to its anti gravity generator, and rechargs in 3.2 seconds using a standard AAA battery…sub light speeds are planned for generation 2. aong with “smart park” a new innovation where the car actually folds to the size of a credit card and can be placed in a wallet,purse, or backpack”

So there!!

47

noel park Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:49 pm)

#39 Statik:

VA?? Just kidding. I agree with N Riley – cool links. Thanks.

I have commented a lot about weight – “simplicate and add lightness” – so 3520# is pretty disappointing to me. So is Cd .27 – .28, or whatever the number was. If the Volt is not the cutting edge of engineering and technology, it is going to lose a lot of market power.

Even so, I’m trying not to get too shrill. Maybe you noticed, LOL. I think that the design is so far down the road now that our comments are not going to change it much. I am just going to do my best to wait it out and see what they actually come up with. If it’s worth the money, I’m there. If they dumb it down too much, I guess I will have to look at other options.

All I asked for in the beginning was a GM product equal to the Prius in content and price. I would have bought a Prius a long time ago if it had been a Chevrolet.

“Let’s just get the Volt’s wheels on the road!”

48

melee Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:49 pm)

A BMW 125i convertible weighs about 3500 pounds. Granted, it’s considered pretty heavy for a small car, but it also doesn’t have a giant freakin’ battery pack (and electric motor and voltage controllers, etc.) Batteries are heavy, even “light” ones like Li-Ion. So it sounds like a reasonable number to me. Wearing my engineer hat, I’d say that’s even pretty good, especially for a 1st-gen rush job like this–removing stuff is generally harder and more time-consuming that putting it on.

49

Gsned57 Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:49 pm)

I really doubt the weight stated in the article, but if it is correct I’m pretty happy.

As I said the other day, GM promised a 40 mile range and a car that resembles the concept using a 16KW battery. Why outdo yourself when you are the first one to market and people are already very excited about your promise.

If they can achieve their goal with a CD no better than a car built today with a weight that’s more than most crossovers that means to me that they have a lot of room to improve on future models. With some future wind tunnel testing, weight reduction, and speed governor they could probably get to 80+ miles with the same battery and electric system. It may look like a prius stepchild but if you want 80 miles electric then maybe it doesn’t matter to you.

This is a first Gen first of its kind EREV. I believe they already hit a home run. Let a few more get on base before going for the grand slam. JMHO

50

Right-Winger Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (12:56 pm)

Never under-estimate GM’s ability to make a car heavy. Remember the 04-06 GTO? 3800 lbs and it was small. And comparing the volt to the prius weight wise is difficult. The prius is an economy car with an economy interior, if they hold true to what I’ve been hearing the volt will have a really nice interior. Furthermore, without having an egg-shaped body it will require more metal to be as stiff (prius/80’s ford escort shape is extremely stiff).

And to the people who are concerned about fitting in it? I’m 6 foot 4 inches, i fit in my corvettes with plenty of headroom for my helmet, so i expect to fit in the volt. If you want to sit military style, maybe you’ll ahve a problem, but seats lean for a reason

51

N Riley Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (1:01 pm)

Once we all get a chance to drive a Chevy Volt, these “real” problems are going to seem mighty small. I think we will all do everything in our power to justify the purchase cost just so we can own one. The Volt is going to be great. Believe it!!

52

Right-Winger Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (1:04 pm)

Agreed, it’ll be great, and hopefully the reviews will be positive, even if volt v1 isn’t as stellar as we all want it to be, we need to encourage this technology. If you want this to be how cars are made put your money were your mouth is. Corporations are for profit, and YOU control their profit, use your money to control the corporations.

53

N Riley Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (1:10 pm)

My money is where my mouth is to the tune of $13,700 and growing another $1,200 + interest each month. I may use part of that as a down payment on a “gap” car, but the majority will continue to be set aside for the Volt. Come GM, I am ready for a Volt.

54

The Grump Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (1:11 pm)

Wow, the new Chevy Volt looks just like a Saturn, with a Saturn logo grille, and everything. Who knew the Volt and the Saturn would look so much alike ? LOL

Yeah, I know they probably used a stock Saturn photo, probably because the new Volt is so hideous, they can’t show it in public. A fake grille ? Hideous ! HIDEOUS ! MY EYES ARE BURNING ! OH THE HUMANITY ! PUT THE COVER BACK ON AGAIN ! (LOL – tip of the hat to Nasaman from the preceding article)

They should have used a picture of a sea turtle or a fuzzy bunny – anything that could not possibly be mistaken for the Chevy Volt, IMHO.

55

N Riley Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (1:32 pm)

For those who have not yet noticed, we have a new posting about new photos GM released of the Chevy Cruz. Great looking car.

Maybe we can get off the weight subject.

56

Mike Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (3:37 pm)

I figured out where all the extra weight comes from, they added a FLUX Capacitor. Its just speculation but not more so than anything else here. I think we won’t see actual numbers until they have a fully assembled one.

57

Koz Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (5:44 pm)

Noel Park #31

“With apologies to Tagamet, just get the !@#$%^ wheels on the road!”

Doubt Tagamet would take offense but he may want a royalty

58

Koz Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (5:56 pm)

Jim I #43

“But since Ft. Meyers is getting all that rain right now, he was afraid it would float away. And then he would get blasted on this site for not having “boat contingencies” built into the Gen-1 Volt.”

Yea and don’t forget it still needs to be the same price as the Prius.

With all the talk about weight did anyone notice that the article mentions a “conventional, mechanical PRND transmission shift” ? If true this is a departure from their previous plans to use a paddle shifter, and I applaud this.

63

Dave G Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (8:57 pm)

Grizzly Says: ‘With all the talk about weight did anyone notice that the article mentions a “conventional, mechanical PRND transmission shift” ‘
————————————————————————————–
I noticed this also, and it doesn’t seem right.

A “mechanical PRND transmission shift” would have a mechanical connection with the transmission. First, the Volt has no transmission. Second, there is no reverse gear. Reverse is done by the software in the motor controller (i.e. by applying electric power to the motor in the opposite way).

So there is not much for a mechanical PRND transmission shift to connect to. Perhaps they meant to say “conventional, mechanical style PRND shifter”.

64

Grizzly Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (11:04 pm)

I think they probably did mean a mechanical style shifter as opposed to electrical buttons or paddle. One thing that always bothered me about that paddle on the steering wheel is not only is it not intuitive like a shifter, it can accidentally be bumped. I’d hate to be cruising at highway speed and accidentally bump that thing into reverse. The other downside, is that two car households will constantly struggle when switching between cars. I think that a short throw stick like the EV-1 had would be right on the money.

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57silver Says

Aug 21st, 2008 (11:10 pm)

That 3520 lb weight is probably a rough estimate. The Volt will weigh much more than a normal gasoline powered car because of the additional components, battery pack, and modifications of the normal uni-body designs.

For instance, the Volt has both a front and rear subframe because the battery pack essentially cuts in half a normal unibody design, compromising the stiffness of the floorpan ‘frame’. In most front wheel drive cars, the transmission is part of the transaxle. Eliminating the transmission gearing does not eliminate the transaxle and its housing, where most of the weight is concentrated. In addition to the ICE of a normal car, the Volt also a heavy battery pack, the electric drive motor, the inverter, etc. The Volt also has a large full-length console to cover the battery pack, stretching from the firewall all the way to the rear seat, the reason the Volt can only seat two in the rear. In earlier chassis diagrams I saw in the spring, the Volt had three radiators, the front one for battery pack coolant, the middle one for the air conditioner, and the rear one for the engine coolant. I have read the battery pack was around 370 lbs, but that probably doesn’t include the coolant or the radiator, metal piping plus hoses, etc. used in cooling. I’m sure there must be a battery pack coolant heater for warming the battery pack in cold weather. Maybe the heater is located the battery pack itself, or maybe it is located in/near the electric pump used to circulate the coolant.

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Tagamet Says

Aug 22nd, 2008 (2:09 am)

Koz said:

Noel Park #31
“With apologies to Tagamet, just get the !@#$%^ wheels on the road!”
Doubt Tagamet would take offense but he may want a royalty

Never a problem, nor need of apologies or royalty. I wish everyone used the phrase as their signature. (g).
It’s after 3 a.m. and just got back from “the big city”. Yes, THE big city – New York. They sure have a whole lot of cars there.
Be well,
Tag

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TCook Says

Aug 22nd, 2008 (8:35 am)

i see everyone comparing the volt to the weight to the Cobalt. I would hope that the Volt is a much larger car than the Colbalt. A friend of mine just bought one and I was so clausterphobic in that little car. If you take the weight of a Malibu, maybe it would be a lot closer to the suggested weight with the 400 LB battery!

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jefro Says

Aug 23rd, 2008 (2:28 pm)

It wouldn’t weight that much if they make it easy to remove the gas motor.